12 Young Adult Movie Adaptations We Cannot Wait to See This Year!

There is always a thrill (intermingled with a slight sense of trepidation) when we hear that one of our favourite novels is being adapted for television or film. Knowing that a story you love is going to get wider exposure, and be introduced to an entirely new audience is wonderful and we hope that it’ll will result in even more people picking up the source material and finding a new author or series that they love.

Better Reading has had a lot of fun trawling through the upcoming movie and T.V. release schedules to find out what will be making the leap from our bookshelves to our screens in 2018. Below are the ones we are most excited about:

The final film in the Maze Runner trilogy has finally arrived! Lead actor Dylan O’Brien severely injured his spine in the filming of Part Two of this trilogy so the wait has been much longer than expected. The trailer can be watched here, but it is now playing in cinemas across Australia!

Based on Ernest Cline’s beloved Sci-Fi novel, Ready Player One the film is set in a future where virtual reality has all but replaced real life, one player must solve the deadly, pop culture based puzzles hidden within this digital word. Watch the trailer here!

Based on David Levithan’s groundbreaking novel of the same name, Every Day stars Angourie Rice as 16-year-old Rhiannon, who falls in love with a spirit named A, a travelling soul who wakes each morning in a different body, living a different life every day. You can watch the trailer here.

No doubt this will be one of the teen movie hits of the year. Based on Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the film tell’s the story of Simon who no-one knows is gay, and – to make matters more complicated – he doesn’t know who the anonymous classmate is that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing. You can watch the trailer here.

One of the best dystopian series to come out in the post-Hunger Games deluge, The Darkest Minds is set in a future where all the children a dying of a mysterious disease. Those that survive develop strange abilities and are locked up in camps for their “own safety”. Starring Game of Thrones Gewndolyn Christie, we’re absolutely sure that this book trilogy will have a whole new readership by the end of the year.

Recently celebrating its 15th Anniversary, Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series is one of the great young adult science-fiction series ever written. This high budget adaptation starring Hugo Weaving looks spectacular and we cannot believe we have to wait until DECEMBER to see it. See the trailer here.

The Hate U Give was one of the most critically acclaimed young adult releases of 2017, dealing with complex issues of class and race in America the film is destined to be a challenging and impactful viewing experience. Amandla Stenberg (Ru, from the Hunger Games film) is in the lead role, and we’re confident that she has the acting chops to do this story justice!

This is possibly one of the most charming teen romance novels around and will no doubt make for a delightful viewing experience. TATBILB is the story of Lara Jean Covey, whose habit of writing long, heartfelt love letters to her numerous crushes lands her in a terrible mess when ALL of those letters are sent to their intended recipients.

Sure to be a tearjerker, All the Bright Places traces the relationship between two completely different teenagers, Violet and Finch, that begins when each contemplates suicide. The novel is an achingly heartfelt and authentic story, and is one of the most convincing potrayals of teenage life around. Fingers crossed the film gets the adaptation right, although with Elle Fanning cast as Violet, we think they’re on the right track!

One of the most stunning explorations of teen isolation and the dangers of religious dogma is being adapted with Chloe Grace Moretz in the titular role of Cameron. Funny and heartbreaking, this is a movie you will want to take the tissues to.

Since Hulu announced in 2016 that they would be making a television series based on Sarah J Maas’ chart-topping series, starting with A Throne of Glass, fans have been eager to see what they make of it.